$100K gift to city will help spruce up parks

Santa Claus paid an early visit to the city of Grandview Heights in the form of the W.W. Williams Co.

The company presented city officials with a $100,000 donation Wednesday, Dec. 12, during a celebration of its 100th anniversary. W.W. Williams' headquarters has been located on Goodale Boulevard in Grandview since 1927.

The money will be used to help pay for improvements to the shelter house at Wyman Woods, including adding heating and insulation to make the building suitable for year-round use; installing ADA-accessible restrooms; and adding a kitchen, Parks and Recreation Director Sean Robey said.

Design details also will be added to the shelter to make it more of a match with the new multiuse building that will be constructed at Pierce Field, he said.

The city also plans to add a turnaround to the parking lot at Wyman Woods and an unloading area that will be closer to the shelter, Robey said.

The shelter house will be named in honor of W.W. Williams, he said.

"Their donation was an uncommonly generous gift," Robey said. "We are thrilled to be partners with W.W. Williams to help make this community a better place."

The company's donation will free up a portion of the $2.8 million in bond sales the city has just completed to pay for improvements at Wyman Woods and Pierce Field, he said.

The total cost of the planned park renovations has been estimated at about $2.1 million, and the city is considering using the leftover revenue from the bond sale for improvements to the municipal pool.